ICANN Acronyms and Terms

ICANN has hundreds of acronyms and terms, which can be confusing. We created this multilingual tool to help explain what these terms mean and facilitate your work within the ICANN community.

ICANN Acronyms and Terms

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1-13 of 13 results

Email Address Internationalization(EAI)

The protocol described in Request for Comments (RFC) 6530 that enables internationalized email addresses to function within the traditional email environment. Internationalized email addresses are addresses that include Internationalized Domain Names or Unicode characters.

Emergency Back-End Registry Operator(EBERO)

In the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program (New gTLD Program), an entity that provides temporary support if a gTLD registry operator is at risk of failing to sustain any of the five critical registry functions.

Empowered Community

An accountability mechanism under the ICANN Bylaws through which ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees are organized under California law. This mechanism provides the Empowered Community with nine powers it can use to raise concerns regarding an action or inaction taken by the ICANN Board or the ICANN organization.

The community powers and rules that govern the Empowered Community are defined in the ICANN Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The Empowered Community is composed of five Decisional Participants: ICANN’s three Supporting Organizations, the At-Large Advisory Committee, and the Governmental Advisory Committee.

Empowered Community Administration

The administrative body through which the Empowered Community acts. For example, when the community decides to bring a concern to the ICANN Board or the ICANN organization, it does so through the Empowered Community Administration. If the Empowered Community enters mediation proceedings brought under the ICANN Bylaws, the Empowered Community Administration appoints individuals to represent the Empowered Community.

The Empowered Community Administration is composed of one representative from each of the five Decisional Participants.

European Regional At-Large Organization(EURALO)

The Regional At-Large Organization (RALO) that serves as the main forum and coordination point for public input to ICANN from the At-Large community in Europe. EURALO keeps the At-Large Structures (ALSes) in its community informed about significant ICANN news. It also establishes mechanisms to facilitate two-way communication between the ALSes and ICANN policymakers, so ALS members can share their views on pending issues.

evaluation fee

In the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program (New gTLD Program), a fee due from each applicant to obtain consideration of an application for a gTLD. The evaluation fee consists of a partial deposit and payment of the full fee amount for each application submitted. A deposit allows the applicant access to the Top-Level Domain (TLD) Application System.

evaluation fee

A fee to apply for top-level domains (TLDs). It consists of a partial deposit and a full payment.

evaluator

People or organizations appointed by ICANN to perform tasks within the phases of reviewing applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs).

expedited policy development process(EPDP)

The early steps of the policy development process are eliminated to fast track policy development in cases of urgency. The ICANN Bylaws detail the specific criteria required for the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council to initiate an expedited policy development process.

Expedited Policy Development Process on the Temporary Specification for Generic Top-Level Domain Registration Data(EPDP-TempSpec)

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) created new contractual obligations for ICANN’s contracted parties related to domain name registration data. On 17 May 2018, the ICANN Board adopted the proposed Temporary Specification for Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registration Data to modify existing requirements in the ICANN Registrar Accreditation and Registry Agreements. The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council then initiated an expedited policy development process (EPDP) as detailed in the ICANN Bylaws to develop policy that would bring ICANN’s Registration Directory Services into compliance with the GDPR. This was the first EPDP in ICANN and GNSO history. The process is ongoing.

Expedited Registry Security Request(ERSR)

A request that a registry operator (RO) makes for a temporary exemption from a provision of its Registry Agreement to mitigate or eliminate a present or imminent security threat. If approved, ICANN grants a waiver of the relevant provision for the period it is expected to take the RO to respond to or eliminate the threat.

Extended Evaluation period

In the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program (New gTLD Program), a period in the evaluation process for a new gTLD. The Extended Evaluation period applies to applications that do not pass the Initial Evaluation but are eligible for further review. This period follows the Initial Evaluation period.

Extensible Provisioning Protocol(EPP)

A protocol used for electronic communication between a registrar and a registry for provisioning (creating, amending, and removing) domain name registrations.